U.I.J Hotel & Hostel - 友愛街旅館 — Hotel in Tainan

I’m sure one day tourists to Taiwan will catch on to Tainan the way the savvy have caught on to Hanoi in lieu of Ho Chi Minh.

Skip Taipei. 101? So what. Shopping? I really wonder. Nowadays .. how much does shopping differ from one major city to another?

Little is my guess.

But ur savvy ya pirate and u figured out Tainan is where the hipster heart lies in Taiwan. Taichung is functional. Taipei is the star and the engine and I guess great if ur working and wanting to be where the money is.

But ur on vacation so right-y-o why would u need or want to be in Taipei.

So ya come to Tainan. It’s slower, sweeter, southern, kinda like the American South—minus the racism and sweet iced tea.

And that ur reading this review means ur really a smart cookie and ya hit on the best value and the best overall stay in Tainan.

Whether ur a backpacker or a bunch of grads or mom and pop or young ones in tow or hitting retirement—this hotel/hostel combo is a smash out hit—way way out of the ball park.

The common room, the uniforms, the hand wash gel—I mean it’s just detail after detail—the love and care and the belief of if it’s what we like for ourselves then it’s what we want we put out for our guests.

The full kitchen has some of the best appliances and gadgets. The laundry has terrific machines. The detergent u can buy from them is the dissolvable gel kind. The furnishings are gorgeous looking new 70s/80s Taiwanese style vintage.

The bunks and showers are all great. The 4th floor is all female dorms, so ladies, come on down—book up the 4-bed, 6-bed, 12-bed, 20-bed dorm rooms.

3rd floor, where the Common is, is also the co-ed dorm floor. It is so gosh darn pleasant to hang out ALL DAY as I do here. The terrace runs the length of the Common.

U have ur teas and free beans to grind and drip. Vending machine for non-alcoholic drinks late night. Booze—charming selection—is available on 3rd through staff, and it’s not jacked up prices.

Cafe in Lobby on 1st. Great book and mag shop there too. Tenants—bars and restaurants and upscale market on the ground floor. Mid-size traditional market by the front door. Ample parking in basement. Gogoro electric scooters for rent via UIJ.

I mean this place is thought-out! Chris and his team killed it.

I’ve spent enough time here and around the world—hostels, hotels, Airbnbs and apartments—to say, quite without qualification—u will not find a comparable experience anywhere else.

But this is just where u live and where I have lived for getting on 3 weeks now.

What I love about Tainan is the smallness and nearness of it all when in central west district—short walk to Blueprint Arts District, Mitsukoshi Mall for the cinema and chained eats, and local eats on Kuo-Hua Road. Well heck local eats all around ya.

I lived in Taipei for many months off and on—from childhood till now—middle-age, and I’d say: Tainan is where u wanna be—especially if u have an independent income.

Come here to vacation. Do ur art here. Set up shop here. Retire here.

And remember: cheapest to fly into Vietnam and Thailand via Taichung—just an hour train ride or 2 hour bus ride from Tainan.

While in Taichung, check out the National Theatre there. Ito did a fantastic job.

Leave ur bags at UIJ.

Use Tainan as ur South East Asian base.

Eventually buy a place here.

And send ur friends to UIJ when they come to visit u.

DW the way UIJ is built—the way it’s run—u know UIJ is in this for the long haul.

Class and all that je ne sais quoi and I guess just heart—yup—it’s all here.

Stay awhile and come say hi—I’m the fella camped out in...

It was definitely THE BEST high quality and luxurious hotel that I have stayed at. Everything about our night stay at U.I.J Hotel was perfect, it’s located perfectly in the heart of Taina, surrounded by all the food, landmarks, street markets within 5 minutes of walking distance. I loved it from the moment I walked into the building when I saw the spacious lobby decorated with vintage records, books, and a cute cafe tucked by the entrance. It created such a nostalgia and modern chic atmosphere that elevated the elegance and quality to differ this hotel from every other hotel in Tainan. The coolest thing about their retro records is that you can actually play the records in your rooms with Crosley record players, and listen to all of their records collection throughout the entire duration of the stay. To me, this is something so unique about U.I.J, and we really enjoyed listening to the different movie soundtrack records while relaxing in our rooms

What I loved most was that they really put thought and care into making the 3rd floor public area a vibrant and collaborative space for the guests to interact with each other through their fully equipped open public open kitchen (filtered coffee, oven, tea, shared fridge) , special exhibition displays and comfy outdoor lounges where you can grab local Tainan food to enjoy and eat with friends. I really had fun talking to some of the other guests while learning how to make my first filtered coffee The breakfast they serve is also really amazingly delicious, unlike most hotels that offer breakfast buffets, they actually have a menu where you can order their different big portion breakfast sets from and made fresh by the kitchen!

There was nothing that I could pick out that needed improvement about this place, because their staff are super friendly, the room is clean and comfortable with bottles of Natura water and even use all AESOP SOAP, and they are conscious about using recyclable bottles and leather slippers! They know just how to do every little detail so well to make the stay here the most incredible experience. Will for sure be back as the top choice...

The interior design and ambiance of this hotel/hostel is incredible. It's like Taiwan Soho House or Hoxton line of hotels. The touches and finishes are really thoughtful and cool. The terrace is gorgeous and the bathrooms are very modern and new. The hotel/hostel is only three years old and definitely feels newer than that.||||And while it's beautiful, it's really not comfortably functional. I stayed in the hostel portion and my review is based on that experience.||||This is truly a hotel, not a hostel.||||The hostel rooms are egregiously expensive, $800 NTD post-tax for a 12-bed dorm. That's crazy. And the website doesn't list the taxes when you book so the actual cost adjusts when you finalize your booking.||||The dorms have real mattresses, which is a big plus, but the flap over the bed is awkward, AC is subpar so the rooms get warm even at night, WiFi is weak and the beds are literally thin pieces of wood so you hear ANY noise in the room. Even from several beds over. If this room was full, it would be really loud and uncomfortable. Locker space is good but you only get a small hand towel. And no mirrors or trash bins in the female dorm. Easy, easy misses.||||Slippers are provided but only come in Medium or XL, so if you're a 9-10 US (40 UK), you're out of luck. ||||Bathrooms have excellent water pressure but the changing space is very small. ||||Kitchen is communal and also very well organized and stocked. There is a guest fridge too which is nice.||||Breakfast is available for $250NTD - $300 NTD, walking tour is $250 NTD.||||Staff speaks fair English but there was a mixup at check in which lead to a lengthy wait for them to correct it later on. I was also the only one temp checked multiple times, which as a foreigner, feels a bit targeted.||||The hostel is like a Monet. From far away it's okay (or even beautiful) but as you get closer it's a big old mess.||||I stayed two nights and then left early for another hostel. I appreciate the beauty of this place but for the price, amenities and experience, it didn't add up.||||Location though is great for the main sights and close to buses to...